|
Country
|
Israel | 
Belgium |
|
Leader
|
Prime minister: Benjamin Netanyahu
|
King: Albert II Prime Minister-designate: Elio di Rupo
|
|
Population
|
7,590,758
| 10,438,353
|
|
Life Expectancy
|
81.070 years
| 79.650 years
|
|
Capital City
|
Jerusalem
| Brussels
|
|
Largest city
|
| Jerusalem (population: 714,000) | Brussels (population: 1,019,020) |
|
Human Development Index
|
0.93
| 0.948
|
| GDP per capita |
$31,400 US
| $38,200 US
|
|
Literacy Rate
|
97.1%
| 99%
|
|
Corruption Perception Index
|
6
| 7.3
|
|
Percentage of Women in Parliament
|
14.2%
| 36.2%
|
| Wealthiest Citizens |
Sammy Ofer & family ($4.0bn US)
| Albert Frere ($2.4bn US)
|
| Unemployment Rate |
5.600%
| 7.700%
|
|
Death Penalty
|
Abolished except for special circumstances
| Abolished
|
| |
|
Political System
|
parliamentary democracy
| federal parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy
|
|
Independence date
|
14 May 1948 (from League of Nations mandate under British administration)
| 4 October 1830 (a provisional government declared independence from the Netherlands); 21 July 1831 (King LEOPOLD I ascended to the throne)
|
| Religions |
Jewish 76.4%, Muslim 16%, Arab Christians 1.7%, other Christian 0.4%, Druze 1.6%, unspecified 3.9% (2004)
| Roman Catholic 75%, other (includes Protestant) 25%
|
| Languages |
Hebrew (official), Arabic used officially for Arab minority, English most commonly used foreign language
| Dutch (official) 60%, French (official) 40%, German (official) less than 1%, legally bilingual (Dutch and French)
|
| Exports |
machinery and equipment, software, cut diamonds, agricultural products, chemicals, textiles and apparel
| machinery and equipment, chemicals, diamonds, metals and metal products, foodstuffs
|
| External Debt |
$102,300,000,000 $
| $1,399,000,000,000 US
|
| Exchange Rate |
new Israeli shekels (ILS) per US dollar - 3.56 (2008 est.), 4.14 (2007), 4.4565 (2006), 4.4877 (2005), 4.482 (2004)
| euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.6802 (2008), 0.7345 (2007), 0.7964 (2006), 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004)
|
| Military Budget as percentage of GDP |
7.300%
| 1.300%
|
| Beijing Olympics Medal Count |
1
| 2
|
| Location |
Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Egypt and Lebanon
| Western Europe, bordering the North Sea, between France and the Netherlands
|
| Area |
20,770 km sq
| 30,528 km sq
|
| Coastline |
273 km
| 67 km
|
| Climate |
temperate; hot and dry in southern and eastern desert areas
| temperate; mild winters, cool summers; rainy, humid, cloudy
|
|
|
|
